The Edmonton Oilers have tied the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final after a major comeback that hadn’t happened in more than 100 years.
They had to overcome a 3-0 first-period deficit and a tying goal by Florida’s Sam Reinhart with 19.5 seconds left in regulation of Game 4 before Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl scored in overtime for a 5-4 victory and 2-2 series tie.
The Oilers are the first road team since the 1919 Montreal Canadiens to win a Stanley Cup Final game after trailing by three goals.
The Panthers appeared to be in command early in Game 4. Matthew Tkachuk had his first goals of the series, Aleksander Barkov had his first points and Anton Lundell scored in the final minute of the first period for a 3-0 lead.
‘We were kind of lollygagging around a little bit,’ Draisaitl told reporters. ‘It’s certainly not the time to lollygag around, especially after getting spanked in Game 3.’
How did the Oilers turn it around?
First, veteran Corey Perry spoke up during the intermission.
‘It was just honesty,’ Perry said. ‘We just had to realize where we were in the moment and kind of look ourselves in the mirror and how we were playing, what we were doing.’
Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch also made the decision to pull Stuart Skinner and put backup goalie Calvin Pickard in net for the start of the second period.
If the goal was to shake things up, it worked. The Oilers stormed back to tie the game by the end of the second period.
‘We were a little too passive, watching the play develop too much,’ Reinhart said.
Pickard did his part, stopping Lundell on a breakaway after a turnover when it was 3-1 following a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins goal. In Game 3, Sam Bennett scored in a similar situation against Skinner to allow the Panthers to pull away.
‘He’s been nothing but spectacular for us,’ Draisaitl said of Pickard.
Darnell Nurse and Vasily Podkolzin tied the game and Jake Walman scored in the third period for a 4-3 lead. But Reinhart tied the game with Sergei Bobrovsky out for an extra skater. That was the only goal Pickard allowed on 23 shots as he improved to 7-0 in the playoffs.
Draisaitl, the runner-up to Hart Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck, gave Edmonton the win with his record-setting fourth overtime goal of the 2025 playoffs
‘He always scores big goals at big times and we’re going home with the momentum,’ Pickard said of Draisaitl.
The series heads to Edmonton, Alberta, after a long flight for Game 5 on Saturday, June 14.
‘The team that moves on from this and the team that recovers the fastest is going to have the bigger advantage on Saturday,’ Tkachuk said.
Highlights from Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers:
Oilers vs. Panthers highlights
Game 4 recap
Final score: Oilers 5, Panthers 4
Leon Draisaitl scores his fourth overtime goal of the 2025 playoffs, a record. He throws it one-handed toward the net and it goes in off Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola at 11:18. Series is tied 2-2.
Sam Bennett hits crossbar
Calvin Pickard gets his glove on Bennett’s shot and the puck clangs off the crossbar. Score still tied.
Overtime underway
Leon Draisaitl and Brad Marchand have the OT goals in this series.
End of third period: Panthers 4, Oilers 4
Jake Walman gives Edmonton the lead, but the Oilers can’t close it out. The Panthers press with Sergei Bobrovsky out of the net for an extra skater and Sam Reinhart scores from a tough angle to force overtime.
Score update: Panthers 4, Oilers 4
Sam Reinhart ties the game with 19.5 seconds left as the Panthers finally beat Calvin Pickard. We’re headed to overtime for the third time this series.
Sergei Bobrovsky on the bench
Panthers have extra skater. About two minutes left.
Score update: Oilers 4, Panthers 3
Defenseman Jake Walman rips a shot to Sergei Bobrovsky’s glove side for Edmonton’s first lead of the game at 13:36 of the third period.
Oilers power play
Sam Bennett goes off for tripping. Sergei Bobrovsky stretches out to make a pad save on Corey Perry in tight. Penalty is killed. About 10 minutes left in the third period.
Third period underway
Panthers have 89 seconds of a power play to start the period. Oilers kill it off.
End of second period: Oilers 3, Panthers 3
The Oilers had no answers for the Panthers in the first period. The opposite happened in the second period as the Oilers storm back to tie the game. Sergei Bobrovsky doesn’t look good on the second goal. Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch’s decision to insert backup goalie Calvin Pickard pays off as he stops Anton Lundell after a turnover when the score was 3-1. Shots were 17-10 Edmonton in that period.
Panthers power play
Leon Draisaitl goes off for elbowing. Calvin Pickard makes a save on Aaron Ekblad and 1:29 of the power play will carry into the third period.
Carter Verhaeghe hit
Evan Bouchard goes down after he’s hit from behind by Carter Verhaeghe. No penalty called. TNT reports that Bouchard heads to the dressing room.
Score update: Oilers 3, Panthers 3
Vasily Podkolzin ties it up after Darnell Nurse goes behind the net and throws the puck in front. Oilers have all the momentum.
Oilers power play
Aleksander Barkov, a penalty killer, is called for delay of game after putting the puck over the glass. Florida kills it off but Sergei Bobrovsky has to make a pad save as Connor McDavid enters the zone with speed and gets around Aaron Ekblad.
Score update: Panthers 3, Oilers 2
Darnell Nurse beats Sergei Bobrovsky up high from the left faceoff circle.
Calvin Pickard save
The Oilers goalie hasn’t been tested much since entering the game at the start of the second period, but he comes up big after an Anton Lundell steal and breakaway.
Oilers power play
Dmitry Kulikov called for holding the stick. Edmonton can pull within a goal here. The Oilers get some good looks but Sergei Bobrovsky stops Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Penalty is killed.
Score update: Panthers 3, Oilers 1
Oilers strike quickly on the power play on a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins goal. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl get assists after being held off the scoresheet in Game 3.
Oilers power play
Sam Bennett slashes Evan Bouchard as he breaks in toward the net.
Second period underway
3-0 Panthers. Oilers will need to stay out of the penalty box.
Oilers goalie change
Stuart Skinner is out. Calvin Pickard is in. Skinner wasn’t at fault there, but Oilers must be trying to shake things up.
End of first period: Panthers 3, Oilers 0
Dominant period by Florida, and penalties again cost the Oilers as Matthew Tkachuk gets two power-play goals. The first was on a 5-on-3. The Anton Lundell goal with 42 seconds left was a killer. Tkachuk gets his first goals of the series and Aleksander Barkov picks up his first points. Shots were 17-7 Florida. Stuart Skinner played well but it’s too much of a barrage.
Score update: Panthers 3, Oilers 0
Carter Verhaeghe checks Troy Stecher and feeds Anton Lundell in front. Did the referees miss a high stick there by Verhaeghe?
Score update: Panthers 2, Oilers 0
Matthew Tkachuk scores again on the power play. He passes to Sam Reinhart and then puts in the rebound of a Reinhart shot. Another assist for Aleksander Barkov.
Panthers power play
Mattias Ekholm high sticks Brad Marchand.
Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce in the building
Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift are in their hockey era.
Kelce, star tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, and Swift, a 14-time Grammy winner, traded in a football for a hockey puck on Thursday and traveled to Sunrise, Florida, for Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers.
The duo was spotted walking to their suite at Amerant Bank Arena as nearby fans applauded. Kelce donned a red long-sleeve shirt and matching shorts, which he paired with a baseball cap and pair of white sneakers. Swift opted for an all-white, two-piece getup that she paired with white heeled boots and her signature red lip. – Cydney Henderson
Score update: Panthers 1, Oilers 0
The Panthers need just four seconds to score on the 5-on-3. After an Aleksander Barkov faceoff win, Mathew Tkachuk gets in position and beats Stuart Skinner through a screen at 11:42. That’s Barkov’s first point of the series. Oilers kill off second penalty.
Panthers power play
Evander Kane is called for high-sticking A.J. Greer. Kane got into penalty trouble in the last game. And it will be a 62-second 5-on-3 after Darnell Nurse takes down Aleksander Barkov.
Panthers dominate early
Shots are 8-1 Florida early. Stuart Skinner is keeping Edmonton in the game.
Stuart Skinner save
Stuart Skinner robs Sam Bennett. He’s looking good early.
Game 4 underway
Connor McDavid line vs. Aleksander Barkov line. Connor Brown, new to the McDavid line, sets up his captain for a good opportunity but Sergei Bobrovsky stops him.
When is Stanley Cup Final Game 4? Panthers vs. Oilers game time
The Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers will face off Thursday, June 12, at 8 p.m. ET at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida.
What TV channel is Panthers vs. Oilers Game 4 on?
TNT and truTV are broadcasting Game 4 of the NHL Stanley Cup Final. Kenny Albert will provide play-by-play, while Eddie Olczyk, Brian Boucher, Darren Pang and Jackie Redmond will provide analysis and reporting.
Stream the 2025 Stanley Cup Final on Sling
How to watch Panthers vs. Oilers Game 4
Date: Thursday, June 12
Location: Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida
Time: 8 p.m. ET
TV: TNT, truTV
Streaming: Max, Sling TV
Starting lines
The NHL roster report shows that Edmonton will start the Connor McDavid line and Florida will counter with the Aleksander Barkov line.
Oilers lines
Panthers lines
Oilers line changes
In addition to adding Jeff Skinner and Troy Stecher to the lineup, the Oilers are moving Connor Brown to the top line and moving Corey Perry down. The defense pairings will also be changed.
Goaltending matchup
Panthers’ Sergei Bobrovsky (14-6, 2.15 goals-against average, .916 save percentage) vs. Oilers’ Stuart Skinner (7-6, 2.84, .894). Skinner, who was pulled in Game 3, is 6-0 in Game 4s during his playoff career.
Connor Hellebuyck wins Hart Trophy; Leon Draisaitl is runner-up
Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets became the first goalie to win the Hart Trophy since Carey Price in 2014-15. His 47 wins ranked tied for second all-time and he had a league-best 2.00 goals-against average and eight shutouts. He finished second with a .925 save percentage.
Hellebuyck, who also won the Vezina Trophy, received 81 first-place votes and 1,346 total points. Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl was runner-up with 53 first-place votes and 1,209 points. Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov (973 points) was the other finalist.
Florida Panthers’ leading scorers
The Panthers have 11 players with double-digit points, led by Sam Bennett (20), Carter Verhaeghe (19) and Brad Marchand and Matthew Tkachuk (18 each). Bennett is the playoffs’ leading goal scorer with 14.
Edmonton Oilers’ leading scorers
The Oilers have the top three scorers in the series: Connor McDavid has a league-best 31 points, followed by Leon Draisaitl (29) and Evan Bouchard (22).
Kris Knoblauch on lineup changes
Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch is adding forward Jeff Skinner and defenseman Troy Stecher to the lineup. Forward Viktor Arvidsson and defenseman John Klingberg are coming out.
‘We felt like we could use a change and have those guys come in and give us a boost,’ he said. ‘We’ve seen it through the playoffs where we’ve made alterations to our lineup and it’s benefited us.’
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins injury update
Edmonton’s Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had been considered a game-time decision on June 11 but indications are that he is in. ‘I still feel good right now,’ he told reporters in the morning. He played a little more than 15 minutes in Game 3.
Stanley Cup Final Game 4 odds: Panthers vs. Oilers betting lines
Spread: Panthers by 1.5
Moneyline: Panthers -145; Oilers +125
Over/Under: 6.5
Odds to win 2025 NHL Stanley Cup Final
Oilers +200
Panthers -250
2025 Stanley Cup Finals schedule
All times Eastern; (x-if necessary)
Game 1: Oilers 4, Panthers 3 (OT) | Story
Game 2: Panthers 5, Oilers 4 (2OT) | Story
Game 3: Panthers 6, Oilers 1 | Story
Game 4: Thursday, June 12, Edmonton at Florida | 8 p.m. | TNT, truTV
Game 5: Saturday, June 14, Florida at Edmonton | 8 p.m. | TNT, truTV
x-Game 6: Tuesday, June 17, Edmonton at Florida | 8 p.m. | TNT, truTV
x-Game 7: Friday, June 20, Florida at Edmonton | 8 p.m. | TNT, truTV